Champions Lge Semi-Final L2
| Lyon 0 | |
|---|---|
| Bayern Munich 3 |
|
- guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 April 2010 18.30 BST
Bayern celebrate a comprehensive victory over Lyon. Photograph: Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images
Preamble:
This promises to be a lot more entertaining than last week's first leg, when Lyon turned out to be the meekest visitors to Munich since Neville Chamberlain. Lyon are a different team at home and, what's more rightly feel ashamed of their feeble display last week. "Since we met up this week the team has only been thinking of one thing – killing Munich," roared OL midfielder Miralem Pjanic by way of preview. "Get stuck into them, kill them and win this match - we all want to crush them and progress to the final," concluded Pjanic, who did not specify how many players he expects Lyon to have available for that final given that they go into tonight's battle with mayhem on their minds … and six yellow cards.
Still, that sort of attitude augurs well for tonight's fare. If Lyon really do attack, as opposed to appeasing their opponents by shuffling politely from side to side 70 yards from Lisandro Lopez, the Argentinian striker who during his long wait for company this season has grown a suitably Robinson Crusoe-esque beard, then we may see goals agogo – especially as Bayern have plenty of worries about the fitness of their defedners: Martin Demichelis is unable to start while Diego Contento and Daniel Van Buyten are carrying knocks. Want a prediction? I foresee a helter-skelter affair that ends 3-1 to Lyon.
But hold on, what's this? The team sheets have just arrived and reveal that Claude Puel has made some changes that will come as a surprise to at least one bloodthristy wannabe warrior – Pjanic has been dropped, presumably as punishment for last week's mirage of a performance. His position behind Lisandro will be filled by Delgado, who has excelled in some European games this season but has generally been inconsistent. Jean Makoun, in for the suspended Toulalan, has been mostly in stinking form, but did score the winner against Real earlier in the campaign. Heartening to see Michel Bastos come back into the fold, less so to Kim Kallstrom, he of the thunderous shot, sitting on the bench. Lyon do not, then, appear to be as hellbent on attack as we were lead to believe. Substitutions could be key tonight.
Teams:
Lyon: Lloris; Cissokho, Boumsong, Cris, Reveillere; Makoun, Gonalons; Bastos, Delgado, Govou; Lisandro.
Subs: Vercoutre, Kallstrom, Pjanic, Gomes, Anderson, Gassama
Bayern: Butt; Lahm, Van Buyten, Badstuber, Contento; Robben, Schweinsteiger, Van Bommel, Altintop; Muller, Olic.
Subs: Rensing, Demichelis, Gorlitz, Klose, Alaba, Gomez.
Referee: M Busacca (Sui)
England's only representative in the last four of the Champions League: Barry Bright (tonight's Uefa delegate)
7:38pm: The Gerland is rocking - literally: TV footage is showing that the stand at one end of the ground is bouncing up and down under the weight of the bobbing throngs.
7:40pm: The teams take to the field amid a wonderful tumult. The Champions League theme is barely audible above the din. Good. "Apart from sounding like an extra in a Guy Ritchie film, Mr Pjanic is a ringer for the brilliant Daniel Mays," reckons Yannis.
7:42pm: While we're on the subject of lookalikes, I submit that Claude Puel bears a certain similarity to Usual Suspects actor Gabriel Byrne. Cue quippery about being undone by the Keyser/Kaiser's team tonight.
1 min: Match in motion. Lyon lose possession instantly.
2 mins: Bayern, taking a leaf out of the book that Jouse Mourinho drew on at Stamford Bridge, attempt to surprise the hosts by attacking right away rather than sitting on their lead. Lyon defended well, however, and after regaining possession tried to launch a quick counter, only to be foiled by a sneaky foul on half-way by Van Buyten.
3 mins: That's an incredible miss! Olic sprung the offside trap and centred for Muller, who was in splendid isolation some 10 yards out, right in front of goal. He had enough time and space to do anything he wanted, which makes shoeing it low and wide all the more unforgivable.
5 mins: Lloris hurtles off his line to collect a long ball aimed at Muller, who's lucky is team-mates are still passing to him.
7 mins: Delgado fires a corner into the near post, Boumsong flicks it on, fractionally too high for Cris, who jumped but couldn't connect at the far post. "Just finished the last of my last vodka shots and glasses of turnip juice in time to race back through dark and deeply pot-holed streets to Baku Old City for the Clash of the Titans (not the movie obviously) only to find that it's tomorrow and instead we have the playoff for the plus one position come the final," drools Gary Naylor. "I'll be glad in the morning though."
8 mins: Badstuber clears a wicked Bastos cross at the near post. Two guarantees for tonight's match," announces David Correia. "Firstly, Van Bommel will get a yellow card. Secondly, the second half will be played after the first!" Thirdly, there will be better emails than that one. Hopefully.
10 mins: Bayern flash another cross into the danger zone, but Muller hadn't anticipated so, despite belatedly stretching his leg out, failed to reach it.
11 mins: So far Bayern are on top. They're making better use of the ball, have more pace in their team and, therefore, are looking more penetrative. Lyon are just plodding at the moment.
12 mins: Lisandro dropped deep to receive the ball, then swivelled and released Delgado with a crafy pass. Delgado curled in a well-intentioned cross with the outside of his boot .... but there was no one there to receive it. Lisandro, you see, can't be everywhere at the same time. That's been a problem for Lyon for most of the season.
14 mins: Aimlessness. "Have Lyon played a truly great match in the Champions League this year?" mewls Michael Winner. "It feels like they did little in the first leg with Bayern, limped through the matches with Bordeaux and, frankly, I can't remember any games before that. Shouldn't a team in the semi-finals of a European tournament have dazzled us with skill at some point? C'mon, give us a highlight or two from their Euro campaign." They didn't limp through the thrilling first leg against Bordeaux. They were very accomplished in both legs against Real, and they deservedly beat Liverpool at Anfield amnd Fiorentina at the Gerland. That good enough for you? They have, though, been poor so far tonight. Not quite as penniless as last week, but pretty scruffy nonetheless.
16 mins: Bayern rumbled forward again. Van Bommel has options to his left and right, but spurns them both in order to let fly from 30 yards. Bad choice.
18 mins: Puel's ploy of playing both Makoun and Gonalons in midfield - rather than Kallstrom - is looking as ill-advised as expected. Most of all, however, Lyon's passing has been awful so far. "I know they'll inevitably disintegrate when the time comes, but do we think Holland have a decent shot this summer with two players on top form who could potentially be leading their clubs to rather an unexpected Champion's League final?" wonders Oliver Pattenden. They've got bountiful talent going forward, but are flimsy at the back and in goal.
19 mins: Robben swings in a freekick from deep, Schweinsteiger flicks on to Van Buyten ... who was offside.
21 mins: Makoun passes back to Lloris from the half-way line. Well, at least he found his man. If Lyon can figure out how to do that in the other direction, we might yet have a match ...
23 mins: Freekick to Lyon by the left touchline. Delgado delivers it directly to the keeper. In all fairness, this is putrescent.
24 mins: Gonalons will miss the final if Lyon get there: he's just been booked for being run into by crafty ol' Van Bommel.
25 mins: Bastos has perked up a bit in the last few minutes and has looked lively on the left. But he needs to finetune his final ball if he's to have any meaningful impact. "Bayern's defence look really bad," grumbles Anthony O'Connell. "I can't understand why they don't just do the simple thing when the ball comes near them and just hoof it anywhere. If Lyon can sneak a goal soon I think Bayern will cave in. All in all thought it's a pretty poor reflection on the rest of European football that either of these teams will be in the final."
GOAL! Lyon 0-1 Bayern (Olic 26') (agg: 0-2) That was well deserved. Schweinsteiger and Muller exchanged passes on the edge of the box before the latter pulled it back to Olic. The Croatian took one touch to control it and, with defenders too sluggish, he slammed it past the exposed Lloris. Lyon now need three goals to win. And they haven't even mustered a shot so far.
28 mins: Lyon haven't been able to come up with anything by way of response so far. Bayern are comfortable. "Surely Claude Puel looks more like Henry Winkler?" suggests Patrick McKeating.
30 mins: Awful miss! That was Lyon's first chance of the match and they really needed to take it but, after being spoonfed by Govou, Bastos directed his volley wide from six yards. "As a United fan, I can't bear to watch, read or listen to a minute more of this filth because it just makes me think what a piece of cake this semi would have been for the Red Devils," blubs Roland Marshall. "It wasn't so much the sending off that did for us, more so the typical lapse of concentration for Olic's goal and definitely the lack of the a final and ruthless killer instinct (Nani, Gibson and Carrick could have all made it 4-1…), the story of our season somewhat. Hope the winners of this match enjoy their pummelling at the hands of Inter or Barça." Bitter, eh?
32 mins: Bayern are zipping the ball around with the sort of pace and precision that Lyon simply haven't been able to find. If Puel doesn't bring on Pjanic and Kallstrom at half-time - at the latest - then even the slim shred of hope they currently have will disappear.
33 mins: Robben lines up a shot from a similar position to the one from which he scored last week ... but drags it wide.
35 mins: Muller tracks back to tackle Bastos, conceding a corner. Altintop heads it away at the near post.
37 mins: Delgado picks up the ball in midfield and then jinks past two. But then, with Govou baying for the ball in space on the right, he over-hits his pass. Dreadful.
39 mins: Bayern corner. Robben curls it in, Lloris punches it well clear. Lisandro, as so often, finds himself trying to beat three defenders to the ball. "I saw Lyon play Real Madrid at Lyon's field, and Lyon totally dominated Ronaldo and company," reports Tim Smith. "Where is that team?"
40 mins: A rapid Bayern break is aborted when Robben inexcusably strays offside. "This game seems very similar in atmosphere to Saturday's United-Spurs game with Lyon playing the Spurs role," haws Andrew Fitchet. "So much hope going into it but, in the end, the more experienced side are just easing them out of it ruthlessly. At the risk of sounding massively unfair, maybe that sums up Ligue 1 - a league full of Tottenhams?" Not quite - few of the teams there have as much wealth as Tottenham. And can you really imagine Tottenham getting to the Champions League semi-final?
43 mins: Bayern are in total control, Lyon can't get any kind of passing movement together.
44 mins: Delgado collects the ball in the box but only offers a token shot, which is easily blocked by the defender. "Amazing how Louis van Gaal takes mediocre teams and builds it into something truly effective," eulogises Niek de Groot. "Last year AZ became champions in the Dutch Eredivisie and now they finish fifth now. And of course he took the Champions League before with a bunch of teenagers." He's good alright, and he knows it.
Half-time: If Puel can't think of any way to make his side more cohesive and cutting, then he should just tell them not to bother coming out for the second half. This really has been a miserable display so far. Perhaps there has been a mistranslation: maybe Pjanic didn't say Lyon were going to kill Bayern ... rather that they were goign to put spectators to sleep?
Chitchat: "Your Chamberlain qip was chortleworthy and indeed valid and all that - but last week's unconditional collapse compounded with this first half's pittance of a performance has me comparing Lyon more with the Romans, i.e. hundreds of miles away from even reaching Munich," says Francis Lee.
46 mins: Much-needed Lyon change: off goes Cissokho, on comes striker Gomis - at last Puel had realised his side need to give Lisandro some support. "The TV commentator in Germany has had the nerve to suggest that Lyon are deliberately targeting Van Buyten's injured leg ... wonder where they got that idea from?" blurts Ian Slater. "At least, as no British team is playing, he has not yet uttered disparagingly the tactical observation 'kick and rush' in English. Kaiser Franz is sounding awfully smug, even by his standards, in the expert comment. Nevertheless, see you in Madrid, Bayern."
47 mins: Boom! Lloris launches a long ball downfield. Demichelis, who came on for Bayern at half-time in place of Van Buyten, heads clear. "Michael Winner (back in min 14) should calm down," reckons Charlie Wilson. "As a new resident of the city I've been really surprised and impressed with OL in the Champions League this year... until now. They've been involved in several of the best ties, and the first leg of the Bordeaux tie was excellent. In fact, the diametric opposite of Bayern. Now, however, the French half-time crew look like someone's peed in the vin rouge..."
49 mins: Robben burts through tow and tries to slip a pass to Muller, but Cris intervenes smartly. "Van Gaal?" spurts Ben Dunn. "So winning the Dutch League with a mediocre team marks you out as a managerial genius? Steve McCLaren might pull the trick this year with FC Twente. Hmmmmm. And those teeneagers who won the Big Cup were a list of European footballing superstars, who would have spanked Manchester United's
Golden generation. Van Gaal. Good manager. Not great. Lovely flick." You forgot to mention that Louis was outwitted by Mick McCarthy in the 2002 World CUp qualifiers.
50 mins: Oh la la, that's laughably bad. It was Delgado, I think, who clipped the ball over Contento to Gomis, who had enough time to take the ball down and pick the part of the goal where he wanted to send the ball. Instead he toe-poked it miles over the bar from eight yards.
53 mins: Robben shows his speed to beat Boumsong to the ball despite starting seven yards behind the defender. Boumsong recovers well, however, and forces the Dutchman to turn backwards out of the box. He lays it off to Schweinsteiger, who smashes a shot into the stands.
55 mins: After Gonalons nicked the ball off Schweinsteiger mid-way inside the Bayern half, Lyon had a fine chance to infiltrate the scattered defence. But Makoun chucked the opportunity away with a cowardly nothing ball. This is embarassing for Lyon.
57 mins: Lloris turns away a low Robben curler with a fine one-handed save. But then he gets lost when coming for the corner and is lucky that Olic missed it too when right in front og goal.
58 mins: Lisandro, eager to try out this 'striker partner' innovation, swaps passes with Gomis at the edge of the area, but Demichelis snuffs it out.
CRIS SENT OFF! The defender slid in and won the ball but also took the man. The ref thought it was a foul and booked him. Cris clapped sarcastically ... so the ref showed him a second yellow. What an officious fool.
61 mins: Butt parries a fierce long shot from Govou.
63 mins: I can't believe Makoun is still on the pitch. he has done nothing. Pjanic was bad last week but he does at least had the ability to pick out a pass when on form.
65 mins: "Why are the Germans always so bleeding lucky?" snarls Ed Rostron. Hahahahahahahahaha. Why do some English people insist on believing German success is down to luck? Bayern, in case you weren't paying attention, were dominant well before Cris's expulsion.
GOAL! Lyon 0-2 Bayern (Olic 67') (agg: 0-3) Easy. Altintop split the defence with a fine disguised pass, Olic scampered on to the ball and slotted it past Lloris. "Someone has to say it: Lyon are going out like lambs," baaahs William Marzouk.
69 mins: Puel introduces Pjanic for Delgado. And a bolting horse is spotted far in the distance ...
70 mins: Govou has the ball on the edge of the area. Gomis darts into the box. Govou doesn't pass. Govou loses the ball. "About the refereeing," begins Paul Staunton. "It has been curiously awful in the Champions League this season."
71 mins: Robben pulls the trigger from the edge of the area. Solid block by Lloris.
73 mins: Lyon are going out like wimps. Bayern are going to score again. At least at the restart Lyon will get a touch of the ball.
75 mins: Olic denied a hat-trick after a fine Bayern break. Makoun did well to get back and take the ball off the Croatian's feet as he seemed certain to score. "One must admit a certain amount of Bayern-Dusel in this run," Robert Smithson. "The first leg against Fiorentina, the questionable sending off of Toulalan last week. Nonetheless, Bayern have been far far better than Lyon. I said last week on the blogs that I wasn't expecting to go through, merely hoping they'd go out with dignity. Cris' sending off and Lyon's inability to play have put paid to that. Govou will leave this summer, and Cris might follow given his decline in the last two years. Puel should follow if Aulas wants progress. And PSG lost 4-0 away at Grenoble, who have a claim to the title 'the worst team in western Europe this season'. Bloody crap night for me..."
77 mins: Bayern change: Robben off, Klose on.
GOAL! Lyon 0-3 (Olic 78') (agg: 0-4) That's his hat-trick. And that's total humiliation for Lyon, who have deserved nothing more. Lahm cantered to the by-line and chipped the ball into the centre, where Olic was waiting. He headed effortlessly past Lloris, who was yet again forsaken by his defence.
78 mins: Bayern change: Schweinsteiger off, Alaba on.
79 mins: Lyon change: Ederson comes on for Lisandro. "I know great French managers are not so common, but this guy makes Domenech look like a motivational and tactical genius," jabs Ben Dunn. "Mind you, to be fair, it appears he has made Boumsong into a half-decent player, so he might be a good coach."
82 mins: Lyon continue to flail, Bayern continue to parry with ease. And roll forward whenever they want to. "OK, Bayern through, that means a one match ban for Ribery then ..," quips a cynical and probably correct James Molloy.
85 mins: Lahm reproduces the chip that lead to Olic's third, but this time Boumsong reads it and repels. "Whoa, Robert!" warns Jeffrey Gantz. "Grenoble the '"worst team in Western Europe'? What about Hertha Berlin?"
87 mins: Corner to Bayern as the game trundles towards the obligatory 90 minute-mark. Bayern play it short and then try to knock it around a bit, but goof. That allows Lyon to break. Govou tees up Pjanic, who shoots from 25 yards. At least I think it was a shot, it might equally have been a deliberate pass to a family member at the top of the second tier. "You keep on saying how bad Lyon plays tonight," moans Michael Frank. "But let's be fair: A team can only be as good as the opposing team allows it to be, and Bayern played surprisingly well tonight, with almost one third of their players being either injured or ill - and three lads on the field who are younger than 20 and who spent the last year playing the amateur league. I am no fan of theirs - but this is simply impressive. And I think that we should all acknowledge that, no matter how lucky Bayern might have been in the past." True, but as you said - 'a team can only be as good as the opposing team allows it to be' and Lyon have allowed them pkenty of freedom to enjoy themselves.
90 mins: Altintop saunters down the left and into the box. He sidesteps Boumsong and then ... scoops it over the bar from 10 yards.
90+1 mins: The ref should jsut blow up now. After all, Lyon imploded 190 minutes ago. "Hertha Berlin are terrible, but Grenoble are definitely worse," opines Abby. "Hertha have a better goal difference, and less losses. Somehow."
90+2 mins: That's it. Bayern did what they had to do with some style, and Lyon let them. "Whatever about Neville Chamberlain, where was the French resistance tonight?" asks Justin Kavanagh pertinently.
